I don’t know what I think about Halloween. Actually I can tell you this: I think its stupid. Pointless. But not Satanic in a literal sense, though the roots of the holiday go back to pagan celebrations. (Of course, the roots of much of our Easter and Christmas celebration likewise go back to pagan holidays). Some people see grave spiritual danger in Halloween, but I only see silliness. Perhaps you could call me schizophrenic on the issue:
* One Alex says that there is something amiss in a celebration of fear, fright, violence, and the macabre. When else is scary violence cute? Why is death and evil, the natural enemy of man, suddenly something to celebrate and pretend about with little kids? But this Alex is probably over-psychologizing things…
* Another Alex just laughs at watching seemingly normal people look ridiculous and act like idiots in public. Those same “normal” people walk their kids around at night to get piles and piles of candy that will turn them into wide-eyed, crazed, and rambunctious little nutjobs who go to bed really late with a horrible stomachache. But this Alex is the cynical one…
* The third Alex thinks that ultimately, as is the case with every other holiday on the American calendar, Halloween is driven by the Madison Avenue hype machine. It’s all about winding up the consumer culture in order to cash in. I heard a news report that said Americans spent $3 billion this year buying stuff for Halloween. It fits neatly between Back to School (and Labor Day sales) and the protracted Christmas season (which has already begun at your local mall, I guarantee). It may look like its all about death, goblins, and haunted houses… but its really all about the Benjamins.